Cozy Country Kitchen - ALL DONE!

Cozy Country Kitchen - ALL DONE!

Almost a year exactly from my original post we are finally done with our cabinet makeover. I lived with open shelving for almost a year... Really made me rethink the idea of leaving it open. Nothing stays clean!! Might I add that the only reason it was finished is because we bought a new(to us) house and this needed to be done before we left. So here are a few during and after shots. Still waiting on some final touches before I can say it is 100% complete!

We decided to have them professionally sprayed since we are leaving; we wanted them to be perfect for the new owners! And mostly because we have had ZERO time to do anything since we have been focusing all of our time and energy on the new place(see below for a little sneak peek). But more on that later...

Okay so just a little refresher on what the cabinets looked like BEFORE we started... 

So here they are... The cabs soaked up the first coat A LOT! Good thing the painters came back for round two! 

A nice little shot of the gorgeous bead board my husband added on! 

Final product... Minus the microwave. Wouldn't you know that the bolt stripped when Hubby took it out, and we have yet to make it to Lowe's for a new one!

I have to say that I am so happy I went a little out of my comfort zone on these. Grey and white was not my first choice. However, I am in love. We are not replacing the countertops and I am okay with that because I feel like the tile blends nicely with the grey. 

This just goes to show that you don't always need a brand new kitchen. Sometimes all it takes is some elbow grease and a very small budget to achieve the 'Brand New' look.

I am sad to say that we are leaving it now that it is finished!

Cozy Country Kitchen - Part 1

7.18.14

So as some may already know, Husband is now installing solar for the family business. This has completely turned things around at home. I am back to work 5 days a week. We have lost our long weekends but it was MORE than worth it to have a normal weekly schedule and every most Saturdays and Sundays off together. Cooking dinner every night together, spending time together as a family on the weekends. Reagan has never known anything other than his mining schedule, but I definitely missed this sense of normalcy. Granted, working together isn't always going to be a walk in the park but so far so good! On to the kitchen:

                                                                         Before

This 'extra' time together has inspired us to really kick start the kitchen makeover we have been dreading since we moved in.  Currently the home has the typical orange-y oak builder grade cabinets with brass knobs and pulls to complete the 90's theme. So much eew! And because we are your average working class family a whole new kitchen was FAR out of My reach. We tossed around the idea of staining but we were both turned off by the amount of sanding it would require. SO many ideas have flooded my brain and irritated the husband. But here is what we are shooting for

• Paint cabinets, add crown molding, trim, and add new hardware
• Granite counter tops WITH a stainless steel undermount sink
• Add backsplash
• Fresh paint
• Aaaaaand eventually SS appliances to match our fridge

So off to Lowes we go for some paint, molding, and beadboard. !!EEK(This is really happening)!! First night we dipped our toes in the water and removed knobs/ pulls and filled the holes. Two nights following we took the doors off of the upper cabinets and removed hinges. SO MANY HINGES, but I did get to use a drill. Yay for power tools! We have the magnetic locks on the bottom cabinets to keep the munchkin out. So instead of ripping it all off at once, we started small with the uppers! 

7.20.14

De-greased and sanded down the upper cabinets. We nailed in one piece of molding and Husband leveled out the tops of the cupboards so I can decorate above the cabinets. SCORE! It was getting late so we had to let Reagan get some sleep. She was even so excited that she decided to climb the stepladder get up on the counter with us while we were setting the molding. No photo due to the fact that I had a mini heart attack. 

                                                          Top of cabinets. Nice and flat!

                                                                 Trim underneath

                                                          My favorite... The molding!!

Our Birth Story

I have been writing this off and on for months!

Austin and I were blessed with what I would call a perfect birth. I can't thank my husband enough for being so supportive and encouraging. Both of our moms were so helpful.

We delivered at Centennial Hills Hospital. The furthest hospital from our house; it is amazing what you will do just to see a good doctor.

We set out from the beginning of my pregnancy to have a natural birth. No pitocin and no epidural.

I had a friend whom introduced me to water birthing. We did some research and decided to take Bradley Birth classes; They were a miracle! The birth tub was booked and we were ready to go!

I started having contractions Saturday night(01/05). Not consistent enough to worry. We woke up Sunday morning at about 3am and the contractions were ON! Austin stayed home from work; this was the real deal. The contractions were 5 minutes apart for about 3.5-4 hours. My mom came over at about 5am. We started getting stuff put together between contractions. I was exhausted! I fell asleep for about an hour; I woke up and the contractions stopped completely. I didn't get too discouraged. Austin and I went about the rest of our day sleeping and cleaning up the house.

Later that night we were sitting on the living room floor. I was playing with my new Cricut. Contractions started around 10pm and instead of getting excited we just continued to go about the evening. Austin and I took turns timing the contractions. They weren't as consistent as they were earlier that morning. Sometimes they would be 5 minutes apart and others were 10 minutes apart. We had a late dinner and I was still able to mosey around the house. About 1am I went to get up off of the floor and, BAM, my water breaks. I yell for Austin down the hall and he rushed to get me towels. We started to hurry to get the car ready again. Called my mom and she said she would meet us at the hospital. Threw a garbage bag and towel over my seat and we were off!

The drive to the hospital is about 45 minutes. We were thankful it was nearly 2a.m. We were virtually the only car on the freeway. You know that part of the 95 at the Las Vegas Blvd. exit where there are consistent dips in the freeway? We call it the 'whoop' section. Well, I was lucky enough to go through that mid contraction! We got to the hospital at 2. Austin pulls up to the the ER entrance(The regular hospital entrance was closed because it was after hours... or that is what they told me) and as I am stepping out of the car I look down to discover I left the house barefoot... OOPS!

When I was admitted I was dilated to 4cm. I was at 3cm and thinned out at my doctor appointment on Friday. Austin attempted to blow up our birthball and it had a hole. Thank god the hospital has 3 of them, as this is where I spent almost all of my contractions. We turned the lights off, turned on our battery powered candles, and Austin put Jack Johnson on Pandora.

The birthtub was in the process of being set up and I was still in good enough shape to talk and walk through my contractions. Our birthplan stated that we only wanted intermittent monitoring as I wanted the freedom to move around and get in the tub. Well when I would have a contraction the baby's heart rate would dip. Lying on my side or my back hooked up was unpleasant. I leaned over my birthball for the next few contractions and she did better. Kim(our nurse) let me off the monitor and I headed to the bathroom for the hot shower to ease the pain. Still walking through contractions and talking to everyone. Austin was by my side the entire time. When Kim came in to hook me up to the monitor Reagan's heart rate was dipping again. This left me attached to monitors for another hour or so. Finally she told me that I needed to have fluids. I was not hooked to an IV, however, when I was admitted they put in a hep-lock for emergency purposes. Finally after being on the birthball through a few contractions Reagan's heart rate was okay; she let me off the monitor.

There was a shift change about 5 hours into my labor. Bev was our new nurse. She was a lot more lenient about the monitor and used the doppler instead of hooking me up. I was thankful for that!

I wish I had a better concept of time through this because I can't recall at what time they checked me and I was dilated to a 6. Around 8 o'clock the contractions were getting so intense that I could barely stand. It was time to hook me up to the monitor but I got in the tub instead. I needed some sort of relief as the birthball and the shower were not cutting it anymore. I leaned over the edge of the tub with Austin rubbing my back. Austin and my mom were taking turns holding a cold washcloth to my neck or head. After 30 minutes or so of being in the tub I had the urge to push. I told my mom to let Bev know and she came to checked me and I was at 9cm. She said I had some effacement left to do. I don't think 5 minutes went by and I told my mom that it was time to push NOW! Dr. Harter came in; he checked me and I was to 10cm and fully effaced. We were ready; I leaned back against the tub with Austins arms under my arms to support me. Harter checked me and he told me that Reagan was OP(Occiput Posterior); her head was down but she was facing my abdomen. He was able to turn her. About 10 minutes in Dr. Harter told me to reach down and feel her head. She is almost here! I don't think I pushed 20 more minutes and Reagan was on my chest. 9:09 a.m. 6 pounds and three ounces. She was 19 inches long.

Austin cut the cord once it stopped pulsating. Here comes the tricky part... Getting out of the tub and into a bed. They put Reagan on my chest as soon as I was able to lay down. She latched on immediately and fed. 

I wouldn't change a thing about my birth. Hospital, home, or birth center... All of us moms are united. Our bodies do amazing things.

39 weeks

How far along: 39 weeks

Maternity clothes: Ohh Yes. 
Stretchmarks: Belly is still clear.

Sleep: Sleep? What is that? Pains in my right side have been depriving me of sleep for about a week.

Morning sickness: Nope

Movement: Its not as rough but now it feels like she rolls around a lot more instead of punching and kicking mom :]

Food cravings: Not so much. 
Food aversions: Greasy anything. 

Have you started to show yet: Definitely.

Gender prediction: It is a Girl <3 

Labor signs: A few mild and inconsistent contractions. Nothing too promising.

Belly button in or out: I'm not quite sure? Kind of just flush at the moment.

Wedding rings on or off: On! 

Milestones this week: Dilated 2cm. Thinned out. 

Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy

Miss Anything: Being able to sit or stand for long periods of time. 

Austin has the crib assembled! The room is painted grey. Dad and Austin got the lines taped off for the stripes and got her closet fixed up. We are looking for a dresser this week. Have been slowly getting things ready for her to be here and come home. My lack of energy has really taken a toll. I feel like nothing is ready. My mom came over and put my butt in gear to start getting things ready. 

 

31 - 36 Weeks

How far along: 36 weeks

Maternity clothes: Yep!
Stretchmarks: Belly is still clear for the moment. Though I will admit I haven't put anything special on my belly to prevent them.

Sleep: For a couple of weeks I couldn't seem to get comfortable enough to sleep for more than an hour or two at a time. That has since stopped and I am back to sleeping as much as possible.

Morning sickness: Nope

Movement: All day. She has finally started encroaching into my ribs. 

Food cravings: Hmmm, nothing out of the ordinary.
Food aversions: Greasy anything. 

Have you started to show yet: Yes yes yes

Gender prediction: It is a Girl <3 

Labor signs: Braxton Hicks a couple of times. Nothing to crazy.

Belly button in or out: I'm not quite sure? Kind of just flush at the moment.

Wedding rings on or off: On! 

Milestones this week: Well we are now having weekly appointments. As of Thursday I am a whopping one centimeter dilated and 70% effaced. So it begins!

Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy

Miss Anything: Being able to sit for long periods at a time.

I know I have really skimped on my blogging the last month and a half. We have about 4 weeks to go. This is where it should get really fun. I will try to remember to be on once a week again. 

We are still working on her nursery. Austin has it painted... Mostly. Has to paint the stripes and I need to order her decal for the wall. We are waiting to get the room painted to set up the crib. I am still in the market for a white dresser. I suppose I am just not looking hard enough. 

And we had our baby shower! It was beautiful! I will have to post about that separately! 

36 Weeks

 


 

30 Weeks

How far along: 30 weeks

Maternity clothes: Yep!
Stretchmarks: ...

Sleep: Lots. I overslept one day last week. Whoops!

Morning sickness: Nope

Movement: All day, everyday.

Food cravings: Fruit. All I have wanted the last couple of days is fruit!
Food aversions: Nothing really.

Have you started to show yet: Yes.

Gender prediction: It is a Girl <3 

Labor signs: No.

Belly button in or out: Definitely in

Wedding rings on or off: On! 

Milestones this week: Glucose test came back normal. That was the best news we have gotten. I am in the process of having our birthing tub reserved.

Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy

Miss Anything: Riding my horse. The weather is now perfect for riding.

Looking forward to: Eric Church, Justin Moore, and Kip Moore concert this weekend with the fam! Hopefully I am able to stay up! :]

29 Weeks

How far along: 29 weeks

Maternity clothes: Yep.
Stretchmarks: ...

Sleep: Waking up in the middle of the night on a regular basis now. Not digging that at all.

Morning sickness: Nope

Movement: A ton.

Food cravings: Mac and Cheese!
Food aversions: Nothing

Have you started to show yet: Yes.

Gender prediction: It is a Girl <3 

Labor signs: No.

Belly button in or out: Definitely in

Wedding rings on or off: On! 

Milestones this week: Our very first birthing class was on Thursday. I felt 20x better about my decision to birth naturally as we walked out. Obviously, I was nervous about it and have had so many people tell me that I can't do it. Being around like minded moms was the best thing for me. 

Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy.

Miss anything: I have started to forget what it was like to not be pregnant. Here is a list of things I miss: Sleeping on my stomach, designer jeans, being able to sit for long periods without having to get up for a potty break, caffeine, and cigarettes. Yes, on occasion I will miss nicotine; this crazy addictive substance. 

Looking forward to: This weekend. Austin is off yesterday through Sunday afternoon. Our anniversary is on Monday and we wont be able to spend it together. We plan to visit the place he asked me to 'to go steady'. It will be a good weekend to turn the cell phone off and just be for a couple of days.

28 Weeks - 7 months

How about a new perspective?

How far along: 28 weeks

Maternity clothes: Oh yes.
Stretchmarks: ...

Sleep: Getting to the point where I want naps again. Probably not a good thing.

Morning sickness: Nope

Movement: Yes. Blazin Buffalo Doritos. She either really likes them or really hates them!

Food cravings: Still French Toast. I did get to have it over the weekend, but I still want it every morning.
Food aversions: Nothing

Have you started to show yet: Yes.

Gender prediction: It is a Girl <3 

Labor signs: No.

Belly button in or out: Definitely in

Wedding rings on or off: On! 

Milestones this week: It was a good week! We decided on a crib. My awesome Mother-In-Law has been extremely patient with me. I have been SO picky about what I want but after a while all cribs start to look the same. We painted a swatch of two different color grays on each wall in the nursery. Pretty sure I have decided on the lighter gray. I am afraid to go too dark in the event of making the room look small. 

Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy

Miss anything: My jeans.

Looking forward to: Our first birthing class! This Thursday we will start our what should have been 12 week birthing course! I was going to be disappointed if she couldn't squeeze us in because she came recommended from my doctor.  They have already completed the first two segments but the instructor is going to be kind enough to let us come into the course a little late and catch me up the day before. We are extremely excited! One more step closer. 

Funny story: I had my glucose test on Friday. Well because my stupid self didn't call an hour before I went in I have to go back in and do it all over again. The Glucola didn't taste that bad. It was more the PURE sugar after not eating for 3 hours that made me feel like crap! And I had a lovely sugar crash. I slept for four hours when we got home. 

I told Austin we only have about 12 weeks until the big day. His jaw dropped a little. It was cute <3 

27 Weeks

How far along: 27 weeks

Maternity clothes: Definitely. My maternity shirts make up an entire load of laundry! That is amazing. I need to buy more jeans this week.
Stretchmarks: ...

Sleep: Not bad. Still trying to get used to falling asleep without Austin home. Nightshift blows.

Morning sickness: Nope

Movement: Oh yeah. Mom got to feel her for the first time this week. I was leaning up against some boxes and she kicking them.

Food cravings: French toast. Every morning I want it so bad so I stopped at Burger King and settled for french toast sticks... Not the same. I guess I should just make a bunch of it and throw it in the freezer.
Food aversions: Nada.

Have you started to show yet: Yes.

Gender prediction: It is a Girl <3 

Labor signs: No.

Belly button in or out: Definitely in

Wedding rings on or off: On! 

Milestones this week: WATCHING the belly move! Not only can I feel her but I have started to notice crazy visible movement. I hope Austin sees it before he goes back to work!  

Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy

Miss anything: Sleeping on my stomach! I catch myself trying to roll onto my stomach some nights. Not comfortable at all.

Looking forward to: Austin has the next 3 days off of work. Were gonna do some much needed housework and have an even more needed datenight! Cannot wait to spend time with him. I have seen him for a few minutes the last few days and I am lucky to have that! He was kind enough to bring be a breakfast burrito when he got off work! 

This week has been a huge adjustment.  Austin is on a late shift.  I just keep telling myself that this is temporary and things will soon be back to normal.  Lying to yourself is hard sometimes.  We are making the best of it.  

My grandfather passed away a week ago.  He had been in and out of the hospital for quite a few years.  He went in for surgery on his leg and things progressively got worse.  I held his hand and told him I loved him right before he passed.  I feel blessed that I was able to be there with him and surrounded by family.  The memorial is being held this weekend; this will not be easy.  I hope everyone can try to focus on celebrating his life <3  

26 Weeks

How far along: 26 weeks

Maternity clothes: Always. 
Stretchmarks: ...

Sleep: Austin's new schedule has changed our sleep schedule completely. We were in bed at 9 and I was up at 3. Not okay.

Morning sickness: Nada!

Movement: Lots! I do get a little nervous if I don't feel her for a few hours.

Food cravings: Nope.
Food aversions: Nothing really. I am back to eating a little bit of red meat. 

Have you started to show yet: No doubt.

Gender prediction: Girl <3

Labor signs: No.

Belly button in or out: Definitely in

Wedding rings on or off: On! 

Milestones this week: 

Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy

Miss anything: I miss fitting into my Buckle jeans and being comfortable.

Looking forward to: My glucose test in 2 weeks... JUST KIDDING! Definitely not looking forward to that at all

Motivation

As much as I would like to blame it on pregnancy I just can’t do it. I have been so darn lazy lately. We got our spare rooms sorted through but after that I haven’t done a thing to any of them. The office desk still needs to be painted and book shelves need to be found.  The workout room needs a tad bit of organization for the weights and my miscellaneous stuff that shouldn’t be on the floor. And Reagan’s room needs just about everything. I still have to paint and decide on a crib. I have been on a hunt for a white dresser for her room. I am starting a fund for the glider I want seeing how it is like 700 dollars with the ottoman. Our bedroom doesn’t have a single piece of art on the wall. I haven’t put anything on the potshelves either. So I am thinking of painting one wall royal purple and starting from there. I completely lack creativity. Even Pinterest doesn’t inspire me sometimes. 

Austin said he didn't want me to write a list of improvements we are wanting to make to the house because the pricetag will be too painful to bare. Too bad. Maybe this will motivate us. We have owned this house for over a year and I feel like I haven't made any progress with it.

• We would like to put hardwood floors throughout the house. The previous owners put in cream colored crappy apartment carpet. And my dogs have nearly demolished the grout in the kitchen.
• With new floors comes new baseboard! Thank goodness because they put in crappy apartment baseboard too.
• Austin has had the itch to get started on refinishing my kitchen cabinets but we figure it probably isn't a good idea for me to be inhaling a mass amount of wood stain fumes at the moment. So that will have to wait for a little bit.
• I am in the market for a chandelier for the dining room. There is currently a 1980's brass and cherrywood ceiling fan above my brand new dining room table.
• New hardware for the doors is a must. I think there is a different knob on every door. 
• Blinds! Holy cow, you should see the terrible red vertical blinds in every room. Why?! Who thought that these were nice? My dogs completely demolished the blinds on the sliding glass door. I couldn't stare at the half eaten slats anymore. 

Well, after writing this I got a hint of motivation; we made a trip to Lowe's! We are measuring our windows for new blinds and hopefully we'll get them ordered tonight. 

These are my half eaten blinds!     

And these are my new curtains! I am thinking I will buy two more panels to make them a little more full.